Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series this is the single cab chassis variant. What’s the big news about the new range? Well, the fact that as well as the 4.5 liter turbo diesel V8 engine, you can opt for a 2.8 liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, and that has an automatic transmission.
That’s big news for the 79 Series because it offers more torque, better fuel consumption, and it’s part of a more comfortable, safer overall package.
Is the new engine better than the V8? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out.
As I mentioned, this is the single cab chassis variant, and this is actually the Workmate grade.
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Pricing
So base spec, no frills here. It has a price tag that’s tickling about $77,000, but that does not include any on-road costs or the cost of the tray.
And remember, with this basic package, you do not get diff locks. You have to option for those, and that’ll cost you $1,500.
Features in Toyota LandCruiser 79
Standard features on board include this 6.7-inch multimedia touch screen, and that has wide Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
You also get Bluetooth, cruise control, and a whole stack of other things. But you also get, we’re still in the dark ages, manual windows.
So up and down, you’ve got to wind, wind your life away. Part of the charm, or at least I think so.
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Design
The new 79 Series lineup still has that distinctive straight up and down boxy shape about it, and that’s a good thing.
But what’s another good thing is it has had a bit of a slap and tickle at the front, that grill and the retro style headlights.
It all ties in to the classic ’79 Series package. But as well, we also have a raised air intake, side steps, steel wheels.
Exterior
It’s the ’79 Series’ you know and love. The ’79 Series’ is available in a variety of colors, and those include French vanilla, Silver Pearl, and the very popular Sandy Taupe.
With cab-chassis Utes, you have your choice of a variety of tray styles. This is a Toyota general-purpose steel tray.
It has a flat bed, drop-down sides, and a window protector there. The good thing about this Ute is that it also has a 3.5 ton towing capacity.
The ’79 Series interior remains as familiar as it ever was, but there are a few distinct changes.
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Interior
One of those is the 6.7-inch multimedia touch screen. That unit’s a lot more tidier and a lot more user-friendly than ever before, mostly because it didn’t exist.
But you do get Apple CarPlay now and Android Auto, but those are wired only.
Otherwise, it is a comfortable, albeit spartan space in which to spend any time, but that’s because it is a work truck, especially this base model spec variant.
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Engine Specs
The new 79 series lineup does have the option of this 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, and that produces 150 kilowatts and 500 Newton meters.
It’s also tied in with a six-speed automatic transmission, and it has a part-time four-wheel drive system with high and low range.
The existing V8 in the lineup with the five-speed manual toolbox does have its fans. It’s got a lot of fans, but it’s far from a perfect engine.
The smaller capacity engine and the automatic transmission, while they are perfectly reasonable on and off road, it just doesn’t have the character, doesn’t have the spirit, to me anyway, of the existing V8, and that’s where it falls a tiny bit short, especially if you’re thinking about things in terms of head versus heart.
On Road Experience
on sealed surfaces, the 79 Series remains about the same as it does with the V8, albeit a tiny bit better.
The four-cylinder engine is a little bit more refined, and the ride and handling in this new upgraded version is a little bit smoother, but not a whole hell of a lot.
You still know you are in a 79 Series But it’s when you get off road that it really excels and this really feels at home.
It is a big four drive, though, and you really do feel it when you are in the bush and things become a little bit tighter, tracks become a little bit narrower.
You do still have to deal with the fact that even in this new upgraded lineup, the wheel tracks are mismatched.
The front one is a little bit bigger than the rear one. It’s not a massive issue, but it can cause more than a little bit of a strife when you’re on tracks where there are distinct wheel ruts, and those two sets of wheel tracks are going through essentially different parts of the ruts.
But that’s only a minor issue because you still do have on board all the four-wheel drive mechanical that the 79 Series is so well known for.
And with This four-cylinder engine, it does produce a lot more torque than the V8, about 70 Newton meters, but it doesn’t feel that much better than the V8 in terms of low-range four-wheel driving.
The torque curve is fairly flat and fairly fat, so there’s a generous amount on tap whenever you need it, and that’s really handy.
But what this ’79 Series is missing because it is the base spec, it’s missing the front and rear diff locks, and those are crucial parts in any four-wheel drive’s toolbox.
And I would certainly opt for those diff locks because they do come in very handy.
There’s plenty of visibility from the driver’s seating the 79 Series because it is such a boxy, straight up and down vehicle that there are huge amounts of glass everywhere, and you can see every which way.
The new four-cylinder engine, well, new to this ’79 Series lineup anyway, and the six-speed automatic transmission, it’s a real clever combination.
But while it is clever and performance-wise, it does really well off road and on, it just lacks that bit of heart, that bit of spirit that you get in the V8.
But having said that, the four-cylinder engine is no slouch, and it really is a clever match up with that six-speed automatic transmission.
Ride and handling are pretty ordinary in all circumstances because it is a ’79 series after all.
But that’s part of its charm, the fact that it is a bit of a rough rider in all terrain, and it is noisy, it is gruff, it’s very agricultural, even with this new engine.
Efficiency
Not as agricultural as the V8, but pretty tractor-like anyway. The ’79 has plenty of ground clearance.
There’s about 330 mill in this variant, and all of the off-road angles pretty much check out.
The departure on this single cab chassis variant is not so good, though, because that tow ball at the rear, which is an option that eats into your departure angle at the back there.
It’s got old-school steel, 16-inch wheels on, it’s got sidesteps. It’s got a Snorkel or a raised air intake, if you want to get fancy.
It all comes together pretty much in a pretty rough way, you’ve got to admit, but in an effective way.
And that’s why the 79 Series has so many fans. And the fact that the driving position in this yuit is so high, the driver has a great vantage point.
You have plenty of vision to the front and down the sides. And that’s very handy when you’re four-wheel driving because you do need a clear line of sight to see the track ahead, to see what’s going on to the sides and even down the back.
For that, like me, you can stick your head out of the window if you’re going slowly, low-range four-wheel driving.
One last thing about this 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. I think it’s better suited to the Hilux than it is in the ’79 series.
It just fits in with every Everything a whole lot better. In the 79, it feels like an odd fit, whereas the V8 feels like a very natural fit for this 79 package.
Toyota LandCruiser 79 Safety Features
The 79 series range did have the maximum five star NCAP safety rating, but that expired late in 2023.
It is now designated as unrated, but safety gear does include AEB lane departure alert, hill descent control, and a whole bunch more driver assist tech.
Ownership
Every 79 series is covered by a five year unlimited kilometer warranty and cap price servicing is available, but for those up to date details, make sure you check with your local dealership Even with the new four cylinder turbo diesel engine.
The 79 series is for better or worse, still a 79 series. It’s clunky, it’s noisy, it’s rough, and it’s pretty much impractical unless you spend all of your time on a job site or remote area touring or you work on a mine.
But that’s part of its charm because especially in an increasingly gentrified and sanitized world, all of those characteristics are things to celebrate.
But what’s not worth celebrating is the fact that this engine, while it performs very well and it does do great on fuel consumption and just overall drivability, it robs the 79 of its spirit.
But I do still prefer the V eight and I reckon a lot of 79 series fans are gonna feel exactly the same way as I do.